Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-06-10
HOME POllTENESS.
One of the Requisites OF Happy and
Pleasant Family Life.

One of the Requisites OF n Happy and
Pleasant Family Life.
Politeness among the members of
family is one of the requisites of the
home life. No matter how luxurious
the home may be, it is a failure if this
one feature is missing, while no matter
how humble the home, it is always q
pleasant one where the virtue of po-
liteness is practiced among its people.
We have too many company manners
and too few home ones. Some people
put on company politeness rs they do
their best clothes, that is, for special
occasions, and usually put it away in
the same closet. Such people never
think manners are for everyday use,
any more than they would think of
dressing in silks and laces to work in
the kitchen. They use the most clab-
crate expressions when addressing an
occasional guest, with the idea that
they are courteous, when the contrary
is really the case. for true courtesy is
never elaborate. The use of eXtrava-
CANT expression is banned by many rs
sign of insincerity in the person using
them, which is by no means so in the
majority of cases, but simply q habit
thoughtlessly formed of using superllu-
Gus expressions on the very simplest
occasions. Such remarks as II shall
never forget your Kindness. or "pm
thousand times obliged to you," in
recognition of some slight service rem
dcred, seems ridiculously absurd to q
thoughtful person, who would much
prefer hearing 81 thank YOU" or ~
am obliged to you," which, if spoken
simply and earnestly, will carry more
meaning than all the cXtravagant ex-
prcssions in the vocabulary. Courteous
people never make extrayagant re-
marks, and though to some they may
appear cold in not using them, they can
nevor be accused of insinccrity.
If people would leave off using these
expressions abroad, and pay more at
tcntion to the use of the simpler ones
at home, it would be much plcasanter
for all concerned. They would not think
of accepting the least service from an
outsider without acknowledging it, no
IN after how slight it might be, yet in
the home all services they accept as
though their right, making not the
slightest return for such. They do not
mean to be ungrateful; they would be
indignant if you suggested such a
thing; they have been so accustomed
to take all services rendered them in
the home, since childhood, as n meter
of course, that they have never given II
thought TO the acknowledgement of
such. If they would reason little
while, they would very soon come ta
the conclusion that they ought to have
come to long ago, that mother or broth
cr is rs much pleased at n "thank YOU
rs any of their friends, and certainly is
more entitled to it.
In all homes such words ms 81 thank
you" and "pardon me-" should be fire.
quently used, There are always plcn-
ty Of occasions for using these express
sions which will save the home many n
iarring note. The father comes in
from his days work tired and little
out of sorts. for things did not go as
well rs he could wish. Mother or some
ono of the family brings his slippers to
him. He Is strongly tempted to take
them without any comment, but his
better nature comes to the front and
he says, "thank YOU" and his i'll ma
ture vanishes before the brightness of
expression that comes over the child S
n mothers face at the acknowledge
mcnt of her simple service. The mother
has n nervous headache, She wants rest,
but the baby will not go to to sleep;
the father takes him and feels well re-
paid with a quiet "thank you" Pa
:ents who are courteous to each other
seldom have discourteous children, n
the little ones learn more by exampl
'Ssn by precept-BO't0H Baagch